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NHS Supply Chain has widened its ethical procurement programme following the passing of UK Modern Slavery Act. It means that more than 200 suppliers are now subject to the Labour Standards Assurance System (LSAS) conditions.

The number of potential victims of labour exploitation referred as part of the framework set up to identify victims of modern slavery in the UK increased by 33 per cent from 2015 to 2016, according to analysis of National Crime Agency data by Kroll, the risk mitigation specialist.

BSI’s Trafficking and Supply Chain Slavery Index has found that China, which supplies 18 per cent of yearly construction materials to the UK, is the highest risk source of modern day slavery for Britain.

UK businesses are woefully unprepared for the Modern Slavery Act’s reporting requirement despite the fact that the new rules come into force on 1st April, the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply has warned.

The US Congress is to be asked to vote on a bill targeting slavery in the supply chain. The bipartisan bill would require companies with sales over $100 million to disclose the measures they are taking to prevent human trafficking, slavery and child labour in their supply chains as part of their annual reports.

The government is launching a consultation with business on its plans to tackle slavery in supply chains. Minister Karen Bradley said: “I am determined to ensure that UK supply chains are not being infiltrated by modern slavery.”

Sainsbury’s has started working with the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, which investigates labour exploitation, to train its product suppliers to identify whether hidden exploitative practices exist at the farms, pack houses, processing plants and factories throughout the global supply chain.

There were 2,744 potential victims of human trafficking in the UK last year – and that could just be the tip of the iceberg, according to Karen Bradley, who is minister for modern slavery at the Home Office. Globally, there could be as many as 30 million slaves in the world. The figures go some […]

The November 2014 issue of Supply Chain Standard is out now through the iPad Newsstand. In the issue: Cover Story: Planning: The social dimension Good planning requires access to accurate, timely data. And that’s where social media has a role to play. Analysis: Penelope Ody The mince pies and Christmas cards may have been in […]

More than one in ten business leaders think modern slavery is likely to be in their supply chains, according to a poll by YouGov for the Chartered Instituted of Purchasing and Supply. And the institute is now warning that the UK could be sleepwalking into